In the Rather Large Estate
by OnceUponAliciaJane
Summary: A series of short ficlets, in no particular order, exploring what could have gone on between those stony walls during all those months that Belle and Rumple shared a home. Mostly fluff for now, rating may kick up as I go along as will the angst.
1. Lullaby

**A/N: I've gotten some really, really awesome prompts, guys! Keep 'em coming! I know I've been kinda slow about getting them up, but here we go! Hope you like it :)**

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><p>She was miserable. Her jaw was clenched like a steel trap, withholding a cascade of emotion. She thought she was hiding it well, responding to his commands politely and obediently, but he's had centuries of practice in reading people, in pinpointing their wants and desires. Her insatiable curiosity and longing for freedom might as well have been scrawled out across her delicate forehead. Though she hadn't been under his care for more than a couple days, he felt like he knew her somehow.<p>

Day by day, her sky-high walls of stoicism began to crumble. Quick, efficient tea times turned into sluggish affairs with more time spent dreamily stirring the brew than drinking it. Averting her eyes morphed into longing looks of loneliness as she watched straw transform into gold between Rumpelstiltskin's deft fingertips. Try as he may to stop it, he almost felt bad for her. It was like watching a caged sparrow beat it's wings helplessly against the bars. Oh, but she was no sparrow; a sparrow is far too common to be compared to such a beauty. It was one of the reasons he had replaced her flowing golden gown. It was far too distracting. But why should her presence have such an effect on him? She was a caretaker, nothing more. He batted the very idea of her away. Conflicting thoughts sparred in his mind as he threw himself more fervently into his spinning. On and on he went, straw pulling in, gold spewing out. Then all of a sudden, he found himself holding onto the end of a finished thread; he had burned through an entire stack of hay. Looking up, he caught a glimpse at the large clock looming in the corner and nearly gasped at the late hour.

Spinning around, he looked for his ward, but she was nowhere in sight. He followed the scent of desperation for only a moment before it brought him to the dungeon door. Gingerly pressing his ear to the door, he heard her. He heard halfhearted wishes and mumbled prayers, there were a few sniffles and multiple sighs. That poor thing…

No.

She needed no sympathy. She was a bargaining chip…wasn't she? That's all right? A groan of frustration seethed forth from the imp. Squeezing his eyes shut, he placed two fingers on the bridge of his nose feeling, his resolve melting away.

Then, he heard it. Soft, shaky notes, staggered a few seconds apart.

"_Bum bum bum…bum bum bum bum bum…"_

What was she doing? Was she…was she _singing herself to sleep?_

The tune's confidence grew in its tempo and volume. Rumpelstiltskin's swirling thoughts came to a screeching halt as he realized something: he used to sing this lullaby to Bae.

_1-2-3 owls in the tree_

Emotions that he'd buried as deep as he could manage came swelling to the surface

_4-5-6 foxes in the sticks_

Memories of comforting his son, shielding him from the terrors of the night.

_6-5-4 goslings on the shore_

Desires to mollify the pain spread through him.

_3-2-1 now we all go home_

With a flourish of his hand, he sent the piano in the next room slowly pouring over the melody, quietly at first, as not to startle her. He stood there listening to the instrument and the girl play off one another, each feeding off the other's passion. After they'd gone through the lullaby a couple times, they finished on the same lovely note, satisfied in their endeavors. Feeling rather accomplished, Rumple turned on his heal to go, but a few whispered words seeped to grab him by the back of his collar, sending tension reeling through his throat.

"Thank you…"

Pausing only for a moment, he sighed and muttered, "You're welcome, dearie. Get some rest, those shelves won't dust themselves."

Heading off to bed himself, he couldn't help but wonder just what he was getting himself into.

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><p><strong>First one down...how'd I do? :)<strong>


	2. Sweet Sadness

It had all happened so quickly.

He had been staring out the tower window into the ink-splotched sky when he saw her: Belle striding up the pathway to the castle. Though he wouldn't have blamed her for fleeing, he was desperately hoping she'd return to him. After their conversation that morning, he had to test her to see if her feelings were true. They had grown close during those months in the estate, going from avoiding eye contact and conversation to basking in each other's company. This morning was different. After dispatching Gaston and turning him into a rose (with the ultimate '_bitch, please'_ expression playing at his lips) and presenting him to Belle, they had the most wonderful conversation. A marvelous conversation about love, about its layers. He was almost positive he had lost focus, but that didn't really matter. He recalled losing his powers of speech, a rarity for him. Instead, all he could do was give a small shake of his head in complete awe of her. Before he knew it, she was gone. Racing to the window, he stood there for what seemed like an either an eternity or a few seconds, he couldn't tell, and then she was coming back along the pathway.

It had all happened so quickly

Racing almost as fast as his mind, he ended up at the wheel, pretending he had been there all along. Their words were brief, but their actions spoke volumes. Her overwhelming sense of confidence filled the room to the brim as she quickly strode to meet him. There was a different air about her. With that rose-colored smirk painted on her face and a twinkle in her eye, she took charge of him, something few were ever able to accomplish. She sat removed the thread from his hand. She sat down. She leaned in. She _put her hand on his leg. _

It had all happened so quickly.

Then there she was. Her eyes fluttered shut…and she was leaning toward him. Thoughts were racing through his mind, and yet a coherent idea could not be found. This was bad…or was it? _Who could ever love a beast?_ She couldn't love him, but he could love her. But did he? Then again, could such a beast be capable of love? He could hardly remember what love was, what it felt like. But none of that mattered; she was hovering just centimeters away now. Losing whatever control he might have retained, he succumbed to the raw emotion pulsing through his veins and tipped forward. They hung there in the balance for a moment, relishing in the delicious adrenaline that accompanies every first kiss. Then he did it. He went first, bringing his lips to meet hers just a split second before she did the same. Sweetness washed over him like water out of a broken dam. A light flashed from behind his eyes. Breaking apart, he felt the skin around his nose and forehead begin to quiver.

"Wha—what's happening?"

Before he could steady himself, two _very_ excited hands caught him off guard and pushed his mangy hair away from his eyes. He remembered almost falling off his stool.

_It had all happened so quickly. _

Now he looked at her. Everything had led to this. Her eyes sparkled with such innocence.

"_Any curse can be broken!"_

Rage ripped through him like the claws of Lucifer himself. Everything he had worked for, everything that he had done was coming unraveled. The painful memories that built him rang through his mind like a gong.

"_Coward"_

"_In front of my boy…"_

"_Kiss my boot"_

Was it all for nothing? What about his power? His power…it was leaving him! Kicking like a wild animal, he knocked back the stool and staggered to the mirror.

_The Queen._

Only she had a heart so black, so capable of tainting one of earth's purest creatures. Belle wouldn't have done this on her own. But if it was working then…

"This means it's true love!" She pleaded with him.

Oh how he wanted to believe that, But no…

"No one, _no one, _could ever, _ever,_ love me!"

It was a trick. He searched her for traces of deceit. Looking her over, he noted her confusion; it must be fake. He saw the sweetest sadness in her eyes.

_Clever trick._

There was no way she could possibly love him. How could such an angel even pretend to want something as vile and twisted as he'd become? No, he couldn't search any more. Dangerous questions could lead to treacherous answers. He wanted nothing to do with the situation. Despite the inhuman change in him, he still did the only thing he knew how to do: run. Flinging her into the bowels of the dungeon, he turned and stalked back to his wheel, mulling over his actions, tears stinging the backs of his magic-mangled eyes. Could he do nothing right? No matter what he did, he lost. Gaining power and what he assumed to be bravery, he took the first step in losing his boy. Gaining a servant, he lost control. In finally procuring the affections of the one he cherished more than anyone else, he almost lost decades upon decades of hard work and maintaining his image. But in retaining those assets, he threw away his only chance at ever regaining happiness. He could not win. There were no happy endings for this one, for who could ever learn to love a beast?


End file.
